“He had struggled with it all his life,” Maplewood Athletics Director Eric Townsend said of Holt. “He had been out before for a week at a time and usually bounced back. This time, he took a turn for the worse. We lost a good one.”

Holt, 35, had come to Maplewood with Coach Arcentae Broome from McGavock prior to the 2009 season and had worked with the Panthers defensive secondary.

“He was like a son to me,” said Maplewood defensive coordinator Dorris Armstrong, who coached Holt when they were both at Whites Creek during the 1990s. “It’s unbelievable to me that he’s gone.”

A 1995 Whites Creek graduate, Holt went on to attend Tennessee State before entering the coaching profession.

“He was a special dude,” former Whites Creek and TSU football standout Eric Joyce said of his ex-teammate. “We briefly coached together at Whites Creek. He had the unique ability to reach the hard-headed kids. They listened to him and loved him like a father. He was able to get the most out of those kids.

“He really had a gift in terms of motivating the kids and teaching the game of football and life.”